UH West Oʻahu duo to co-produce sequel to internationally acclaimed film documentary

UH West Oʻahu (UHWO) Professor Louis Herman and Executive Producer Chris Conybeare of the Center for Labor Education & Research (CLEAR) will co-produce "Primal Quest," a high-definition, full-length feature film sequel to the internationally acclaimed, award-winning "The Great Dance: A Hunter‘s Story." Herman and Conybeare will work with award-winning filmmakers Craig and Damon Foster in the production. This ground-breaking documentary was heralded for its epic portrayal of the rare "running hunt" of the Kalahari San Bushman and for showcasing some of the wisdom of the oldest indigenous culture on Earth. "Primal Quest" is being prepared for a worldwide cinema and television release as part of a larger educational package which includes a scholarly book and a permanent educationally enhanced website, articulated with courses at a variety of university campuses.

"Primal Quest" picks up where "The Great Dance" left off. It follows the central character !Nqate Namqabe and his companions on the first-ever Bushman anthropological expedition to the West — through the mainland United States to Hawaiʻi. This reverse anthropology offers a view of the Western world through the eyes of modern hunter-shaman. "It is very exciting to be working on a project that connects UHWO and Hawaiʻi with two of Africa‘s finest filmmakers — Craig and Damon Foster — and to have an opportunity to create cutting-edge HD media resources for an international audience as well as the classroom," said UH West Oʻahu Professor Louis Herman. "In telling the story, ʻPrimal Quest‘ creates a dynamic between primal and scientific cultures that illuminates the human condition at a time of planetary crisis and suggests a shared path forward for shaman and scientist, hunter and businessman."The film production for "Primal Quest" will follow the model of the Fosters‘ original work "The Great Dance," which was the first film to have been fully developed through production and post-production by the San Bushmen themselves. Research and development for the documentary was completed with the help of a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The production team is now actively seeking completion funding and welcomes collaboration. Dr. Herman grew up in South Africa and has spent much of the last 15 years studying Bushman culture and its significance for industrial civilization. Chris Conybeare has a long and distinguished career in media production. He produced the program "Rice & Roses" for CLEAR and was executive producer of News and Public Affairs at Hawaiʻi Public Television.For more information, visit http://socrates.uhwo.hawaii.edu/SocialSci/louisher/LHerman-Quest.html or contact Dr. Herman at (808) 255-5994 or louisher@hawaii.edu or Chris Conybeare at (808) 255-6288 or conybeare@msn.comAbout UH West O'ahuLast fall, UH West Oʻahu became a four-year, comprehensive university when it served its first class of freshmen. The university offers quality education, small classes and personalized attention at convenient locations. A new campus in the City of Kapolei is scheduled to serve students in fall 2011. For more information about UH West Oʻahu, visit uhwo.hawaii.edu or call 454-4700 or toll-free (866) 299-8656.About CLEARCLEAR serves as the clearinghouse for labor education matters in the state of Hawaiʻi and provides credit and non-credit labor studies courses, and labor-related research and educational services for workers and their organizations.